Heat-treating metallic bodies



Jan. 23, 1951 F. o. HESS v 2,539,135

HEAT-TREATING METALLIC BODIES Original Filed April 12, 19:43

INVE

MW i/W Patented Jan. 23, 1951 HEAT-TREATING METALLIC BODIES Frederic 0. Hess, Philadelphia, Pa... assignor to Selas Corporation of America, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application April 12, 1943, Serial No.

Divided and this application December 14, 1944, Serial No. 568,146

6 Claims.

My invention relates to heat treating metallic bodies, and it is an object of the invention to provide an improvement for heat treating metallic bodies in rapid succession to a high temperature in a. single pass through a heating chamber, as will appear from the following description and accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and of which:

Fig. 1 is a view diagrammatically illustrating apparatus embodying the invention;

Fi 2 is a sectional view taken at line 22 of Fig. 1 to illustrate the invention more clearly;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken at line 33 of Fig. 1, to illustrate parts of the quenching unit more clearly; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of one of the heating units diagrammatically shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawing, the apparatus shown embodying the invention comprises an elongated heating structure including a top wall II and spaced apart side walls I2 extending downwardly therefrom to form an elongated chamber M. The heating structure l0 rests on a frame l5 which may be formed of angle members and supported in any suitable manner above a supporting surface. The Walls II and I2 are formed of suitable ceramic material whereby the chamber [4 forms a refractory lined tunnel which is of inverted U-shape in section and open at the bottom.

A conveyor 16 extends lengthwise of chamber l4 beneath the top wall H and includes spaced apart members 11 formed to support work pieces l8 which extend upwardly into the chamber M. The conveyor [6 is of the endless belt type and extends about spaced apart pulley wheels I9 located beyond the ends of the heating structure 10. The pulley wheels H! are driven in any suitable manner to cause the members I! to carry the work pieces l8 through the chamber [4.

The work pieces 18 are rotated during their travel through the chamber M. In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor l6 is adapted to be moved intermittently, and, during the intervals of time when the conveyor 5 and members I! are stationary, a rotating movement is imparted to the members I! and work pieces [8 supported thereon. This may be accomplished by providing a number of spaced apart vertically disposed spindles 20 which are located adjacent to and beneath the path of movement of the work supports H. The spindles 20 are driven continuously from a shaft 2| which extends lengthwise of the heating structure Ill.

' The members I1 and spindles 20 may be so constructed and arranged that the members I! are releasably connected to the spindles 20 when the members I! are moved directly opposite the spindles. Thus, the members I! and work pieces l8 carried thereby are rotated during the intervals of time the conveyor I6 is stationary, and the releasable connection between the members I! and spindles 20 permits the members I! to move automatically from one spindle to the next spindle during which period no rotating movement is imparted to the work pieces l8. The mechanism for imparting rotating movement to the members I! has only been shown schematically since any well known mechanism may be employed to cause rotation of the work pieces l8 during their travel through the heating structure H].

A plurality of gas-fired sources of radiant heat 22 are provided at the inner surfaces of walls H and [2. In the embodiment illustrated the heat sources 22 are arranged in groups to form a number of heating stations 23 in vertical align ment with the spindles 20. While in certain heat treating applications the heating stations 23 may vary from one another, the heating stat ons illustrated are similar in character with each other comprising twelve heat sources 22. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, four heat sources 22 are disposed vertically one above the other at each of the side Walls [2, and a cluster of four heat sources is located at the top wall H and bridges the two rows of heat sources at the side walls l2 which are directly opposite each other.

The radiant heat sources 22 are of the gasfired type, and, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4, include a nipple 24, a distributor cap 25 and a parabolic radiator 26 of refractory material. Each radiator is formed in a block 21 of ceramic material which is incorporated in a wall of the heating structure H]. The parabolic radiators 26 are heated to a highly radiant condition by small gas flames produced at the distributor cap 25 which subdivides the gas mixture supplied thereto. The caps 25 serve to direct the flames along and closely adjacent to the parabolic radiators within which substantially complete combustion is accomplished,- and the heated products of combustion pass into the refractory lined tunnel while the radiant heat waves are projected directly into the path of movement of the work pieces l8.

A suitable gas mixture is supplied under pressure from a sourceof supply through main conduits or manifolds extending lengthwise of the heating structure I0. One such main conduit or manifold 28 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for the heat sources 22 at the top Wall H, and it is to be understood that similar conduits or manifolds are provided for the heat sources 22 at the side walls 12. Branch or take-oh conduits 29 are connected to the main conduits or manifolds for supplying the gas mixture to the heat sources 22, and suitable valves 35! are provided in these connections for independently controlling the supply of gas mixture to the heat sources.

When the work pieces (8 are formed of ferrous metal and heated to the critical hardening temperature in heating structure It. it is desirable to cool the work pieces rapidly from the critical hardening temperature immediately upon passing from the heating structure, so as to accomplish the desired hardening of the work pieces. In order to efiect such hardening of the work pieces, a quenching unit 32 is provided closely adjacent to the discharge end of the heating structure 8. The quenching unit 32 is of the bell type including a casing or bell 33 closed at the top and open at the bottom. The casing 33 may be movable along vertical guide rods 34 so that the casing may be lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1 after a work piece [8 has been moved by the conveyor I'G immediately below the casing. Before the conveyor it again moves to carry the work pieces (8 through the heating structure 19, the casing 33 is raised so that the work piece just quenched can pass from the quenching unit 32 and the next work piece can be moved into its quenching position, whereby the quenching op erations may be accomplished during the intervals of time the conveyor is stationary.

The raising and lowering of casing 33 may be accomplished with the aid of a suspension cable to the end of which a counterweight may be attached. It is to be understood, however, that downward and upward movement of casing 33 may be efi'ected automatically by suitable mecha nism which is controlled in such a manner that the quenching of each work piece l8 can be effected during the periods when the conveyor i5 is stationary and the work pieces 18 in the heating structure It are positioned at the heating stations 23.

Within the casing or bell 33 adjacent to the closed end thereof are positioned a number of pipe sections 35 which extend radially outward from the vertical axis of the casing. Four or more pipe sections 33 may be employed having their inner ends connected to a feed pipe 3'5 which extends upwardly from the top of the casing and in which is connected a valve 35 for regulating the supply of cool-ing water to the pipe sections 35'.

A number of vertically disposed pipe sections 31 are located adjacent to one another within the outer wall of the casing 33. The pipe sections 31 are connected to individual feed pipes 38 which extend upward from the top of the casing and in which are connected valves 39 for con trolling the supply of cooling water to each pipe section 31. The pipe sections 34 and 31 are formed with a number of openings or orifices 59 through which the cooling water is discharged into the interior of casing 33 for rapidly cooling ferrous metallic bodies from the critical harden-'- ing temperature to which they are heated in the heating structure [0.

During operation, the conveyor is driven in the manner described above to carry the work pieces l8' to the inlet of the chamber 14' which is at the right-hand side-of the heating structure ID, as seen in Fig. 1. The work pieces I 8 are placed on the support members ll near the right-hand pulley l9 and moved intermittently by the conveyor to the first heating station 23 nearest the inlet end of the chamber it. After definite intervals of time each work piece is moved to the succeeding heating station 23 and is finally discharged from the outlet end of the chamber M. In the event quenching of the heated work piece is required for hardening, such quenching is'eliected by the quenching unit 32 after which the work pieces may be allowed to fall by gravity at the left-hand pulley l9 into a suitable collecting receptacle. During the travel of the work pieces [8 through the chamber 14 a rotating movement is imparted to the work pieces, as explained above.

By employing gas-fired sources of radiant heat 22 at the walls H and 12 of chamber M, the radiators 26 are heated to a highly radiant condition and radiant heat waves are projected directly from these radiators in the path of. movement of the work pieces 3 and intersected by the latter. In addition, the heating of the work pieces [8 by the radiant heat'waves is augmented by convection heating from the heated products of combustion developed by the gas-firing of the heat sources 22. The combustion of the gas mix-. ture is substantially completed within: the parabolic radiators 26 so that the work pieces l8-are enveloped by the'products of combustion through which the radiant heat waves project, and flame impingement of the work pieces is avoided.

Since the work pieces can be rapidly heat treated and raised to temperatures as: high as the critical hardening temperature of ferrous metals in a matter of seconds and minutes in a single pass through the chamber (4, it is my belief. that such rapid heat treatment is due to the rapid heat penetration into the work pieces as the result of the transmission of a major portion of the heat by the radiant heat waves projected from the radiators 26 which are in a highly radiant condition andat close range to the work pieces l8 as the latter travel through the chamber l4. Since the flow of radiant heat from the heat sources 22 to the work pieces [8 is proportional to the difierence of the absolute temperatures raised to the fourth power, it will be evident that the gas-firing of the radiators 26 to heat the latter to incandescence contributes to the rapid rate of heat input to the work pieces.

The intensity of the radiant heat energy can best be illustrated by giving the specific temperatures attained when the radiant heat sources 22 are gas-fired by a combustible mixture of air and ordinary city gas having a rating of about 500 B. t. u. per cubic foot. In such case the radiators can be heated to 2400" F. to 2500F. without difliculty, and, when the work pieces [8 are immediately adjacent to the radiators and at close,

range thereto, an excess pressure may be developed in the parabolic radiators zewhereby the latter may be maintained at an average tempera ture of 2700 F3 and in a temperature range not below 2650*F. and as muchas 285'0' Fraud higher.

Due' to the rapid rate at which heat treatment of work pieces can be accomplished in a single pass through the heating chamber, the size of the heating structure can be made relatively small when the capacity of such structure is taken into consideration. In heating structures generally like that described and illustrated in which the work pieces travel through a refractory lined= tunn'el, it is possible'to heat brass cartridgecases 5%" in diameter to an annealing temperature of about 1100 F. to 1200 F. at the rate of about 500 per hour in a heating structure approximately 8 feet in length; and to heat steel cartridge cases of similar size to the critical hardening temperature of about 1650" F. at the rate of 500 per hour in a heating structure about 12 feet in length. The rapid rate of heat penetration is indicated by the fact that the brass cartridge cases are heated to the annealing tem erature in about seconds and the steel cartridge cases are heated to the critical hardenin temperature in a minute or less. For the remainder of the travel of the work through the chamber (4 the cartridge cases are maintained and held at the elevated temperatures to which they are initially heated.

The work pieces I8 shown in the drawing are cartridge cases which are thicker in section at the base or closed end than at the cylindrical side wall. In heat'treating cartridge cases of this type, it is desirable that the rate of heat input to the base or closed end should be greater than that to the part of the cylindrical side wall ad acent to the closed end, and that little or no heat should be applied to the part of the side wall adiacent to the bottom open end. Even with work pieces of this kind having different surface portions of varying thickness, the desired heat treatment of all surface portions of the work can be accomplished in a single pass through the chamber 14 by independently regulating the supply of the gas mixture to the heat sources 22 by proper ad ustment of the valves 30, whereby a pattern of radiant heat waves may be produced which will be intersected by the work pi ces so as to bring all surface portions of the work pieces to the desired elevated temperature at substantially the same rate and at the same time.

In certain instances it may be necessary or desirable to obtain a graduated hardness or heat treating effect on certain surface portions of the work pieces, and in such cases the heat sources are ad usted to produce a predetermined patt rn of radiant heat waves which will be intersected by the work pieces in traveling through the chamber and enable the desired heat treating of all surface portions to be accomplished at the same time and in a single pass of the work pieces through the heating chamber. Since the work pieces [8 are rotated while in the heating chamher I 4, all surface portions within the chamber will be intersected by the radiant heat waves projecting directly from the heat sources 22 through the enveloping atmosphere of the heated products of combustion, thereby insuring uniformity in the a:

rate of heat input to the different surface portions of the work pieces.

Likewise, the openings or orifices 4!! in the quenchingunit 32 maybeso distributed and of such size that, with proper adiustment of the valves 36 and 39, the rate at which cooling of different parts of the work pieces is accomplished can be suitably controlled to produce the desired hardness characteristics at the different surface portions. Thus, in the cartridge cases illustrated, water can be supplied at a faster rate to the closed end than to the cylindrical side wall adjacent thereto, whereby the diiferent parts will be woled at substantially the same rate from the critical hardening temperature.

It will now be understood that an improvement has been provided for heat treating or hardening metallic bodies in ra id succession through a refractory lined tunnel having gasflr d source of radiant heat at the side walls thereof, and that radiant heat waves are projected from such heat sources, which are maintained in a highly radiant condition, through the atmosphere of the heated products of combustion enveloping the work pieces. By regulating the supply of gas mixture for the radiant heat sources, a predetermined pattern of radiant heat waves may be produced in the path of movement of the work pieces which are intersected by the latter, whereby the desired heating of diiferent surface portions of each work piece can be accomplished in a single pass through the chamber. This is of particular importance in production line machinery for rapidly heat treating work pieces of varying thickness and where graduated hardness and heat treating effects are desired.

This application is a div sion of my copending application Ser al No. 482,697, filed April 12. 1943, entitled Heat Treatment." which application is now abandoned.

While a sin le embo iment of the invention has been hown and described, it will be apparent that modifications and changes may be made w thout de a ting from the s irit and scone of the invention. as po nted out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for heat treatin metallic ork p ec s in rand succe ion compr si g a refractorv lined tunnel incl ding a top wa l and s aced mart side wa s extending downwardl therefrom to form an elrngated chamber which is of III-- erted U-shane in s ction and open at the bottom. a conveyor extending lengthwi e of said chamber beneath said top wall comprising a. plurality of spaced apart members each con tructed and arranged to support a work piece which is adapted to ext nd upwardly into said chamber. said members being r tatable, means for carrying. said members lengthwise of said chamber to cause work pieces supported thereby to travel through the chamber, means for rotating said members to cause rotation of the work pieces while in the chamber, a pluralityof vertically displaced sources of radiant heat at the walls of said chamber from which radiant heat waves are adapted to be projected directly into the path of movement of the work pieces and intersected by the later during their travel through said chamber, means for supplying gaseous fuel to said heat sources to heat the latter to a highly radiant condition, and means i r regulating said fuel supply means to produce a pr..determimned pattern of radiant heat waves through which the work pieces are adapted to travel and cheat the desired heat treatment at different vertical levels of the" surface portions in a single pass of the work pieces through said chamber, whereby a number of similar work pieces may be progressively heat treated in rapid succession in a like manner.

2. App ratus for heat treating metallic work pieces in rapid succession comprising a refractory lined tunnel including a top wall and spaced apart side walls extending downwardly therefrom to form an elongated chamber which is of inverted U-shape in section and open at the bottom, a conveyor extending lengthwise of said chamber beneath said top wall comprising a plurality of spaced apart members each constructed and arranged to support a work piece which is adapted to extend upwardly into said chamber, said members being rotatable, means for carry said members lengthwise of said chamber to cause work pieces supported thereby to travel through the chamber, means for r:tating said members to cause rotation or the work pieces while in the casca es chamber, a plurality of gas-fired sources of radiant heat vertically spaced along said walls and from which radiant heat waves are adapted to be projected across the path of movement of the work pieces and intersected by the latter during their travel through said chamber at close range to said sources of radiant heat, the prodpieces in rapid succession comprisingarefractory lined tunnel including-a top wall and spacedapart side walls extending downwardly therefrom to form an elongatedchamber which is of inverted U-shape in section and open at-the bottonna conveyor extending lengthwise of said chamber beneath saidtop wall, said conveyor compr sing a plurality of spaced apart members each constructed andarranged to support a.work piece which is adapted to extend upwardly into. said chamber, said members being rotatable, means for carrying said members lengthwise of said chamber to cause work pieces supported thereby to travel through the chamber, means for rotating said members to cause rotation of workpieces while in the chamber, a plurality of sources of radiant heat located at vertically displaced positions in said walls from which radiant heat waves are adapted to be projected across the path of movement of the work pieces and intersected by the latter during their: travel through said chamr ber at close range to said sources of radiant heat, means to supply a gaseous heat producing medium to vicinities adjacent to said sources of heat to heat the latter to incandescence, said medium augmenting the heating of the work pieces to an elevated temperature which is accomplished predominantly by the radiant heat waves, and means for individually regulating the supply of said medium to said sources of heat to control the radiant heat energy projected therefrom and effect the desired heat treating of each work piece at different vertical levels of the surface portions thereof in a single pass through said chamber, whereby a number of similar work pieces may be progressively heated to the elevated temperature in rapid succession in a. like manner.

4. Apparatus for heat treating metallic workpieces in rapid succession including in combination an elongated furnace of inverted U-shape in section, said furnace having a chamber that is open at the bottom and through which a piece to & be heated may bev moved in astraight line. from one end thereof to the other, a plurality of vertically displaced radiant heat sources located in the walls of said furnace at the sides of said chamber, each heat source adapted to burn a combustible fuel mixture-to heat said heat source to incandescence and to supply hot gases of combustion. tosaid: chamber, means to adjust individually the supply of combustible mixture to each heat source thereby to: obtain a desired heat pattern in said chamber, an elongated conveyor extending below said chamber opening, a pluralityof work holdingsuppor-tsmounted in spaced relation onsaidconveyorso that work to be heated when. mounted; on said supportswill ex-.- tend througlrthe-opening of said chamber into the same, and means to move saidconveyor to carry workpieces mounted on said. supports through said. furnace chamber, the heatpattern produced bysaid heat sources efiecting the desired heat treatment oteach workpiece atdiiferentlevels of the-surface portions thereof. as they move through said chamber, a

5.; Apparatus for. heat treating work pieces in rapid'succession including structure forming an elongated-furnace chamber of inverted. U-shape andopenat the bottom,- conveying means having a plurality of spaced work supports thereon, means to'move said. conveying. means intermittently beneath said furnace chambeneaeh movementthereof said-work supports to predetermined stations below saidchamber, a plurality of vertically displaced radiant heat sources located in the sides or said. chamber. at each of, saidstations means tosuppiy fuel to each. of said sourceaandmeansrtoadiust individually the supply of: fuel to each heatssource whereby work pieces on said supports and extending. into said chamber may be heat treated in accordance with adesired pattern. p

6. The .combinationof claim 5 including means located adjacent to said conveying means to rotate said worksupports when they are located atsaidstations.

FREDERIC O. HESS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Duncan et a1. Jan-22, 1946 

